This application claims the priority benefit of Japanese application serial no. 2000-314230, filed on Oct. 13, 2000, and 2000-314233, filed on Oct. 13, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a loading apparatus for a recording medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a loading apparatus capable of loading various types of recording media. In addition, more particularly, the present invention relates to a cartridge loading apparatus wherein the shutter of the cartridge is opened and closed in connection with the eject operation and the loading operation of the cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional recording medium loading apparatus installed in a disc apparatus having exchangeable property for a plurality of disc recording media (referring to compatible disc apparatus, hereinafter) is used as an example for description. For example, a disc apparatus used as a device for reproducing or recording information is built in or externally connected to an electronic apparatus, such as a personal computer or a word processor. The disc apparatus uses the disc-shaped recording medium as its recording medium. In addition, the disc-shaped recording medium is loaded into the disc apparatus using a recording medium loading apparatus and is then reproduced or recorded.
On the other hand, a variety of disc recording media are also provided, for example CD (Compact Disc), CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable), CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), CD-RW (Compact Disc-Rewritable), DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc-Read Only Memory), DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc-Random Access Memory) are well known. In addition, there are two kinds of recording medium: one is the disc with a diameter of 12 cm, and the other is the disc with a diameter of 8 cm. Moreover, for the DVD-RAM, three kinds can be classified, including wherein the disc is enfolded in a cartridge.
As described above, although a variety of disc-shaped recording media is provided, it would be convenient if the reproducing and/or recording process for each disc-shaped recording medium could be performed by one disc apparatus. Therefore, a compatible disc apparatus having the exchangeable property for each disc-shaped recording medium is provided.
A variety of the disc-shaped recording media have to be transferred in the main body of the disc apparatus for the compatible disc apparatus. Conventionally, for the recording medium loading apparatus, a tray is used as the transferring device in the main body of the disc apparatus. The tray can be drawn out of the main body of the disc apparatus when the disc-shaped recording medium is loaded or ejected (referring to eject time, hereinafter). In addition, loading recesses are formed on a disc loading surface of the tray for loading the 12 cm disc, 8 cm disc and the disc cartridge, thereby a variety of the disc-shaped recording media can be loaded on the tray.
A cartridge is used for loading various types of the disc-shaped recording medium to the main body of the disc apparatus. For example, Japanese Laid Open 10-10620 discloses a cartridge loading apparatus, wherein the top of an arm member installed on the ceiling is engaged with the shutter of the cartridge in the process wherein the tray having the cartridge inserted is moved to the loaded position. The shutter of the cartridge is slid laterally because the arm member is moved in response to the move of the tray and rotated along the guide slit formed on the ceiling.
According to the structure above, the cartridge is moved to the loaded position and the shutter of the cartridge is slid to the open position so that the recording or reproducing process can be performed. In addition, in order to maintain the insertion space of the cartridge in the loading apparatus for loading the cartridge enfolding the disc-shaped recording medium, the moving distance of the tray becomes large, and the distance that the arm member slides the cartridge is extended.
For the conventional compatible disc apparatus, because the tray is installed for loading the disc-shaped recording media, it is necessary for the tray to be greatly drawn out of the main body of the disc apparatus when the disc-shaped recording media are loaded to or removed from the tray. Therefore, for the conventional compatible disc apparatus, when the disc apparatus is installed, it is necessary to estimate the drawing distance of the tray in advance for setting required space, which becomes a problem in that the installation space becomes large.
In addition, a device for loading various types of the disc-shaped recording medium using a clamp lever rather than the tray is provided, by which the disc-shaped recording medium is brought into the main body of the disc apparatus by the clamp lever.
In the conventional cartridge loading apparatus, because the arm member for opening/closing the shutter of the cartridge usually slides in a guide slit when the tray is moved from the cartridge insertion position to the cartridge loaded position, sliding resistance is usually acted on the tray. Conventionally, the loading of the tray driving motor for driving the tray becomes large due to the sliding resistance of the arm member, and therefore the tray driving motor cannot be miniaturized.
To solve the foregoing problems, it is an object of the invention to provide a recording medium loading apparatus for smoothly loading the disc-shaped recording medium to the carrier, and for stably holding and transferring the disc-shaped recording medium.
It is another object of the invention to provide a recording medium loading apparatus to save the installation space and prevent malfunction from occurrence.
The present invention provides a recording medium loading apparatus, comprising a carrier for transferring a recording medium between an eject position and a loaded position by moving within a disc apparatus. The carrier comprises a holding device engaged with the carrier for holding the recording medium, so that the holding device is capable of moving with respect to the carrier between a first position protruding from a main body of carrier (a carrier body, hereinafter) in an eject direction of the recording medium and a second position estranging from the first position in an insertion direction of the recording medium, and the holding device is set at the second position when the main body of the carrier is set at the eject position and the holding device is moved from the second position to the first position in a process wherein the carrier body is moved from the eject position to the loaded position.
The recording medium is transferred by the carrier. The carrier has a holding device for holding the recording medium, and the holding device is capable of moving between a first position protruding from a carrier body in an eject direction of the recording medium and a second position estranging from the first position in an insertion direction of the recording medium, and the holding device is set at the second position when the carrier body is set at the eject position and the holding device is moved from the second position to the first position in a process wherein the carrier body is moved from the eject position to the loaded position. Namely, the holding device is capable of moving between the first and the second positions within the carrier.
The holding device is set at the second position when the carrier body is set at the eject position. Because the second position is estranged from the first position in an insertion direction of the recording medium, the holding device does not protrude from the carrier body in the eject direction of the recording medium.
The holding device is moved from the second position to the first position in the process wherein the carrier body is moved from the eject position to the loaded position. The carrier is moved within the main body of the disc apparatus.
Therefore, even if the carrier body is set at the eject position, the holding device does not protrude from the main body of the disc apparatus so that the installation space of the disc apparatus can be saved. In addition, in the process wherein the carrier body is moved from the eject position to the loaded position, because the recording medium is held by the holding device, the recording medium can be firmly held and transferred even though the installation space of the disc apparatus is saved.
In the apparatus above, when the recording medium has a cartridge, the carrier swingably holds a shutter opening/closing member for opening and closing a shutter installed on the cartridge accompanying with an insertion of the cartridge enfolding the recording medium, and the recording medium loading apparatus further comprises: a cam portion for engaging with the shutter opening/closing member to open/close the shutter of the cartridge in a process that the carrier is moved from the eject position to the loaded position; and a holding member for holding the shutter opening/closing member to displace to a position to open the shutter of the cartridge by engaging with the cam portion. The distance that the shutter opening/closing member is engaged with the cam portion is shortened, and therefore the loading in the process of transferring the cartridge can be reduced.
The holding member is installed on the carrier for latching the shutter opening/closing member at a time point when the shutter opening/closing member passes the cam portion in a loading process of the cartridge, and for releasing the latch of the shutter opening/closing member at a time point when the shutter opening/closing member is engaged with the cam portion in an eject process of the cartridge. Therefore, even if there is no engagement with the cam portion, the shutter opening/closing member passing the cam portion can be held at the shutter-opened position. The distance that the shutter opening/closing member is engaged with the cam portion is shortened, and therefore the loading in the process of transferring the cartridge can be reduced.